


"You don't have to stay."

by Yuuki_Nyanmaru



Series: Love Story [4]
Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-03
Updated: 2020-01-03
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:15:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 823
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22102411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yuuki_Nyanmaru/pseuds/Yuuki_Nyanmaru
Summary: That day should have been a happy one. It was their anniversary after all, the start of their 14th year together.
Relationships: Aiba Masaki/Sakurai Sho
Series: Love Story [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1587502
Comments: 6
Kudos: 8
Collections: Sakuraiba Tanabata 2019-2020





	"You don't have to stay."

**Author's Note:**

> Eleventh drabble of the Sakuraiba Tanabata 2019-2020!
> 
> I'm sorry but this is going to be a bit angst...

That day should have been a happy one. It was their anniversary after all, the start of their 14th year together.

They didn’t reserve a table at a restaurant that year, they decided to celebrate at home; Aiba offered himself to cook dinner while Sho was in charge of buying the cake. Surprisingly, that year they managed to keep secrets their presents. Usually, someone would find out in a way or another, be it by using the PC right after the other had ordered the gift, or be it opening a box which had arrived home, thinking that it was just a normal delivery.

It was unbelievable even for them to not know what they were being gifted. It was weird but exciting at the same time. Finally, they could have a complete experience of an anniversary; that’s what Sakurai affirmed many times.

The dinner went really well, everything was very good, and the chocolate cake bought by Sho was incredibly delicious. Without realizing, they ended up eating almost all of it, sometimes spoon-feeding each other and kissing away the cream which was left on the other’s mouth.

The night couldn’t get any better, that was what they thought, but, unfortunately, the perfect scenery broke into pieces.

Aiba had received a wonderful watch, which he believed cost Sho a whole lot of money, and wore it immediately; he liked it too much to resist. Everything was going fine until that moment because when Aiba gave Sho his present, their sweet bubble burst.

Sakurai unwrapped the gift, revealing a tiny box made of velvet. Aiba started smiling, not holding back his stirring heart, and due to this he didn’t realize how Sho’s hand had begun to tremble.

“ _Come on, open it,_ ” he had urged him.

Slowly, Sho had opened the box which contained a thick silver ring.

“ _Look inside,_ ” he had told him.

Following his instructions, Sakurai discovered an engraving on the interior side of the ring, “ _I love you._ ” At that moment, Masaki kneeled on the floor and spoke the words he had dreamed to tell Sho since long ago.

After that, many things happened altogether and all too fast; his mind was still in confusion. What he could put together from his scattered memories was that Sho started to cry, mumbling that he couldn’t accept that ring and the propose which came with it.

Apparently, for some time, Sho had begun to feel...weird towards him. He didn’t tell him anything because he thought that it was just something temporary, but the more time passed, the more that feeling wasn’t dissolving. After a lot of time spent thinking, Sho said to have understood what the problem was: he had been together with Masaki since they were 16 years old, meaning that he had spent with him a huge part of his life. He had only lived that love and, now, he couldn’t discern anymore if that were still true love or it had mutated into something different, into habit…

When hearing those words, Aiba wanted to react as the impetuous person he was; he wanted to shout, to cry, to smash everything in their apartment. That would have been wrong, though, because he knew that it was stupid to do so. No one was at fault for Sho’s feelings, it couldn’t be helped.

After one whole hour of silence, in which they stayed still, Aiba still kneeling on the ground while Sakurai had reached him on the floor, next to him, he finally spoke.

“You don’t have to stay,” he whispered.

“Masaki, I’m not breaking up with you. I’m just stating why I can’t marry you now-”

“I know! I understand that! But I can’t let you be around me when you don’t know if you still love me, I can’t look into your eyes and be aware that you’re not looking at me how you used to do. So,” he took a deep breath before continuing, “You don’t have to live with me just because you feel sorry, just, think about yourself. I’ll be fine.”

“I can’t leave you alone-”

“Yes, instead! Yes, you can!”

For the first time since Sho confessed his thoughts to him, Aiba looked at his lover. They had both their eyes red and their cheeks wet by tears.

“Either you go or I’ll go. I don’t have anything else to say,” Aiba told him. He bit his lips and left a last kiss on the other’s lips, before sitting properly on the floor, hugging his legs and hiding his face.

As Masaki’s sobs grew louder, so did Sho’s ones, who had tried to hug him, but was shoved away. He could only stand up and go away.

And when a, “ _I’m sorry,_ ” was whispered to him, a kiss was left on his hair and the sound of the front door opening and closing echoed in the apartment, Masaki started to cry out his heart for real.


End file.
